associate
associate — 動詞
1. to link one person, thing, or idea with another in your thoughts, so that thinki
聯想；聯繫
把人事物在腦中跟別的連結起來
to link one person, thing, or idea with another in your thoughts, so that thinking of one brings the other to mind.
Most Taiwanese people associate Tainan with great street food.
大多數台灣人會把台南聯想到很棒的小吃。
associate X with Y pattern
The smell of pine trees always makes Hannah associate winter with her grandfather's cabin.
松樹的味道總讓漢娜把冬天聯想起爺爺的小木屋。
Red envelopes are strongly associated with Lunar New Year in many Asian cultures.
在許多亞洲文化裡，紅包總是和農曆新年緊密聯繫在一起。
Coach Wu told the parents not to associate Kenji's tattoos with gang trouble.
吳教練告訴家長們，不要把健二的刺青跟幫派問題聯想在一起。
Patagonia has long been associated with durable jackets and strong environmental values.
Patagonia 長期以來都和耐穿的外套與重視環保的理念連結在一起。
- dissociate
to deliberately break a mental link, often to distance yourself from something
文法句型
associate someone/something with someone/something
be associated with
用法筆記
Almost always paired with the preposition 'with'. Frequently appears in the passive ('be associated with') when describing a widely held link, rather than one person's private thought.
常見錯誤
2. to regularly spend social time with a particular person or group, often a group
來往；交往
經常和某人或某群人相處
to regularly spend social time with a particular person or group, often a group that other people view negatively.
Mrs Lin warned her son not to associate with the older boys behind the temple.
林太太警告兒子不要和廟後那群年紀較大的男孩來往。
associate with + people the speaker disapproves of
After his promotion, Daniel mostly associated with senior partners at the firm.
升職之後，丹尼爾大多只和事務所的資深合夥人來往。
The politician was criticised for associating with several known criminals.
那位政治人物因為和好幾個有名的罪犯來往而受到批評。
In her teens, Yuki refused to associate with anyone who drank or smoked.
由紀少年時期不願意和任何抽菸或喝酒的人來往。
- mix with
more neutral and common in everyday speech
- fraternise
very formal; often used about contact between groups that should stay apart
- hang out with
informal; warm and friendly, no negative tone
文法句型
associate with somebody
用法筆記
Distinct from sense 1 by being intransitive and taking a person, not a thing, after 'with'. Carries a slightly disapproving tone — neutral 'spend time with' or 'hang out with' is preferred when the relationship is positive.
常見錯誤
associate — 名詞
1. a person you work or do business with, or someone you spend a lot of time with a
夥伴；同事
工作或事業上往來的人
a person you work or do business with, or someone you spend a lot of time with as a friend or partner.
Mr Chen introduced me to two of his business associates from Singapore.
陳先生介紹我認識他兩位來自新加坡的事業夥伴。
common collocation: business associate
The mayor relied heavily on a small group of close associates for advice.
市長非常仰賴一小群親近的夥伴提供建議。
close associates of [person]
Several of the senator's former associates were called to testify in court.
那位參議員的好幾位前同事都被傳喚出庭作證。
Sami sent the contract to her associates in the Tokyo office for review.
莉娜把合約寄給東京辦公室的同事審閱。
文法句型
a business associate
a close associate of someone
用法筆記
Sounds more formal and distant than 'colleague' or 'friend'. Common in news reporting about politicians, executives, or criminals — implies a working or strategic relationship rather than personal warmth.
常見錯誤
2. in the United States, a person who has completed a two-year college programme an
副學士
美國兩年制學位的取得者
in the United States, a person who has completed a two-year college programme and earned the qualification known as an associate's degree.
After two years at the community college, Jamal graduated as an associate in nursing.
在社區大學讀了兩年後，馬可斯以護理副學士的身分畢業。
associate in [field]
After working as a nursing associate for two years, Priya enrolled at the state university.
在護理副學士的崗位上工作兩年之後，普里雅進入州立大學就讀。
The school district hires associates as teaching assistants while they continue studying.
學區會聘用副學士擔任助教，讓他們一邊工作一邊繼續進修。
Carla earned her associate's degree in graphic design before joining the studio.
卡拉先取得平面設計的副學士學位，才加入這間工作室。
- graduate
more general — can mean any level of degree, not just a two-year one
文法句型
associate of [field/college]
用法筆記
Mainly North American. The full phrase 'associate's degree' is far more common than the bare noun 'associate' for the qualification holder; outside the US, 'diploma' or 'two-year degree' is often used instead.
常見錯誤
3. a person who belongs to a club, professional body, or company at a lower level t
準會員
組織內地位較低的成員或員工
a person who belongs to a club, professional body, or company at a lower level than a full member, often with fewer rights or privileges.
As an associate of the Royal Photographic Society, Aiko could not yet vote in elections.
身為英國皇家攝影學會的準會員，愛子當時還不能參與選舉投票。
associate of [organization]
The law firm hires twenty new associates each summer straight from law school.
這間律師事務所每年夏天會直接從法學院招進二十位初級律師。
junior employee meaning
At the Hong Kong Yacht Club, Mr Leung and other associates pay reduced fees but cannot enter the dining room.
在香港遊艇會，梁先生和其他準會員的年費較低，但不能進入主餐廳。
After five years as an associate, Diego was finally promoted to full partner.
當了五年初級律師之後，狄亞哥終於被升為正式合夥人。
- junior member
plain wording for the same idea
- affiliate
stresses formal attachment to an organisation, often without full membership
- full member
someone with complete rights and voting power
- partner
in a law firm, the senior owner-rank above associate
文法句型
an associate of [organization]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (work partner) by the institutional ranking: this sense names a defined lower tier within a society, firm, or organisation, with rules about what an associate may or may not do. Often appears as a job title in law firms and consulting.
常見錯誤
associate — 形容詞
1. placed before a job title to show that the person holds a slightly junior versio
副的；準的
職稱前表示略低於正職的層級
placed before a job title to show that the person holds a slightly junior version of that role, usually with fewer duties or less seniority than the full title.
Dr Park was promoted from assistant professor to associate professor last spring.
朴博士去年春天從助理教授升為副教授。
associate professor — common academic rank
The hospital appointed Sofia as an associate director of nursing services.
醫院任命蘇菲亞為護理服務的副主任。
associate + [role]
Hannah and two other associate editors at National Geographic spent months preparing the ocean issue.
漢娜和另外兩位《國家地理》的副編輯花了好幾個月籌備這期海洋特刊。
Mr Xander serves as an associate judge in the family court.
田中先生在家事法庭擔任副法官。
文法句型
associate + [job title / role noun]
用法筆記
Attributive only — never used after a linking verb (you can say 'an associate professor', not 'the professor is associate'). Always sits directly before the role noun and is fixed within institutional title systems (universities, courts, publishing houses).